Religious behaving badly

[brewer]

Denver church sued over alleged sex assault of student, handling of accusations; leaders dispute key allegations

A former student and her parents are suing St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Denver, alleging church and school officials failed to protect the girl from a music director who they say sexually assaulted her when she was 13 and then failed to properly respond when concerns about the alleged assault surfaced.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Denver District Court, also accuses St. John's of failing to properly screen and supervise Diego Marroquin, who worked as the church and school's interim music director and technical coordinator.

But in a letter sent Saturday to church and school families, St. John's strongly disputed several of the allegations, particularly claims that Pastor Andrew Farhat or other staff members accused the girl of lying, pressured her to recant or failed to report suspected abuse.

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/st...dium=email

More: https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/lawsui...dium=email

 

[Tigers!]

Too many times they do.

 

[southernhybrid]

https://wapo.st/4Ai9pbr

I know WaPo will ask for some information before you can read this shared article, so I'll just post enough of it so you see what happened.

This could make a good episode for Law and Order SVU.

Former youth minister indicted on sex abuse charges after FBI investigation​

Jeff Taylor, 66, worked at the Falls Church Episcopal in the 1990s and early 2000s.

A former youth minister at one of the most prominent churches in Northern Virginia has been arrested and charged with coercing and trying to coerce three minors into sexual activity between the 1990s and early 2000s, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

Jeff Turner Taylor, 66, of Milford, Ohio, served as the youth minister and director of adult discipleship from 1990 to early 2002 at the Falls Church Episcopal, which was established in the early 18th century. After his Falls Church tenure, Taylor worked at two more houses of worship in the Atlanta area. One of the churches investigated him for possible rules violations unrelated to sexual misconduct; the other forced his resignation after it learned thirdhand about an allegation of attempted sex abuse against him by another young person, according to a 2025 Washington Post investigation into Taylor.

The indictment charges Taylor with three counts of coercion and enticement, and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity, according to court documents unsealed Monday in the Eastern District Court of Virginia. Each count involved a different minor. Taylor was also charged with four counts of traveling out of state “with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with another person under 18 years of age.” It’s not clear from court records how many victims are attached to those counts.
For some parents who attended Falls Church Episcopal and whose children belonged to its youth group, Taylor’s indictment was a long-sought step toward accountability. Parents and youth group alumni lodged accusations against him with church leaders and the FBI at different points over many years.

Those allegations ultimately formed the basis of a church-commissioned report into Taylor’s conduct in 2024. The next year, The Post published its own investigation about the allegations against Taylor.
Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, Taylor was a popular church official who held great sway over students, according to The Post’s investigation and independent church report. His mentorship style included one-on-one “Coke dates” at restaurants, a bowling alley, a batting cage or, quite frequently, in secluded locations in a parked car, according to former youth group members. The Coke dates often involved extremely graphic discussions, under the pretense of Taylor urging boys to curb their lustful habits, according to investigations by The Post and the independent church report. Some men told The Post that these encounters from their youth often led to inappropriate touching or sexual contact.

 

[brewer]

A restaurant stood up to Doug Wilson’s Christian Nationalists—and won

Saffire says Fight Laugh Feast luncheon booking canceled after public objections

A luncheon booking associated with the Fight Laugh Feast conference has been canceled after Saffire restaurant publicly objected to the views of one of the event's speakers, owner Lauren Morales

www.williamsonherald.com